The wall angel is a flexible and efficient exercise. They give you that feeling that your fitness level is rising. This simple way includes moving your arms up and down on a wall. Wall angels have several uses.

As people are now more likely to work on desks, this exercise becomes essential. So, this needs to be a part of their daily fitness routine. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to do wall angels, what would be the safety measures and all. So, to learn more, stay with us.

What are Wall Angel exercises?

Wall angels are also known as a "V" to "W" stretch after the first and final arm positions. You'll usually do these with your back to a wall. Pressure from the wall helps you maintain proper posture by maintaining your arms and spine.

Those who spend much time sitting at work and those who regularly work with weights will benefit from this. Dr. Shereen Kangarloo says Wall angels, which focus on the chest and major back muscles, offset the shortening of those muscles after workouts like the bench press.

How to Perform Wall Angels?

Building strong and stable cores doing wall Angels is a must. You may develop and shape your core muscles with the help of this easy workout. To perform this exercise, follow this step-by-step guide:

Equipment Needed

• A flat and empty wall.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Step 01: Stand Against the Wall

• To get started, find a flat wall to lean against. Keep your feet about 6 inches from the wall's surface.
• Your head, hips, and shoulders should be against the wall.

Step 02: Arm Positioning

• Keep your forearms at a 90-degree Angel as you lift your arms.
• Both of your hands should be at shoulder level, level to the ground, and facing upward.

Step 03: Engage Your Core

• It’s time for your core muscles. Straight your spine, and you’ll feel the tightness in your core muscles.

Step 04: Start the Movement

• Gently glide your hands up the wall, keeping your palms touching the surface the whole time.
• You must keep your arms, elbows, and lower back in direct contact while you raise your arms.

Step 05: Maintain Correct Form

• Lower only as far as possible while keeping proper posture without pain.
• When you reach the bottom, hold for 5 seconds before returning to the "V" shape.

Step 06: Full Range of Motion

• Keep moving your arms up until you may no longer keep touching the wall. Typically, this occurs when your arms reach fully above.

Step 07: Return to the Starting Position

• Return the process by lowering your arms back to the starting point.
• When lowering your arms, remember to keep the shoulders close together.

Step 08: Repeat

• You can do this exercise for some time, whatever suits your fitness needs and goals.

Tips

• Engage your core muscles to stay stable, and avoid curving the lower back when you do this.
• Try to maintain the modest moves and focus on keeping the whole back, mainly the lower part, on the wall.
• Before doing wall angels, people with shoulder problems should get advice from a doctor or a therapist.

You may perform wall angels as a warm-up, a cool-down, or part of your regular workout plan. It will increase your shoulder mobility and improve your posture.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

You could increase your range of motion in your shoulders and improve your posture by doing wall Angels. However, they can be performed incorrectly, like any other exercise, increasing the risk of harm.

Some typical problems in wall angels and their solutions are given below:

1. Arching the Lower Back

• Mistake: Hunching and curving the lower back can destroy your correct posture.
• Risk: This can tilt your pelvis, and you may fail to get a correct posture and flexibility.
• Avoidance: Keep your back flat on the wall, your feet equal width, and your spine straight. Keep your core tight and your back straight to avoid slumping.

2. Protruding the Head Forward

• Mistake: Protruding your head forward against your spine in a normal posture.
• Risk: The negative effects of poor posture on doing exercises include greater neck pain.
• Avoidance: Avoid the mistake by keeping a neutral spine, engaging the core, keeping the head upright, and moving carefully through the exercise.

3. Losing Elbow and Wrist Contact

• Mistake: Bending your elbow and wrist and losing your elbow and wrist contact.
• Risk: You may not maintain the alignment with your shoulder and lose your balance.
• Avoidance: For best shoulder engagement, keep your elbows and wrists straight during the exercise.

4. Overextending the Shoulders

• Mistake: Overextending your shoulder and struggle with the shoulder movement.
• Risk: This can cause pain in your shoulder muscles and harm your muscles as well.
• Avoidance: Don't bend your shoulders above your ears. Keep your shoulder blades contacting the wall while you do this.

5. Rushing Through the Exercise

• Mistake: Doing the exercise in a rush and pushing the muscles too hard.
• Risk: This can cause severe injury, and the result won’t be helpful.
• Avoidance: Move slowly and carefully. Use the breath to help you calm and relax into the stretching. Make the quality over the time of your exercises.

6. Not Keeping the Upper Back Engaged

• Mistake: Keep your upper back leaning forward or not engaging in the exercise.
• Risk: This may create extra pressure on your shoulder muscles.
• Avoidance: Engage your upper back muscle while pulling your shoulder muscle.

7. Ignoring Pain or Discomfort

• Mistake: Avoiding pain or discomfort and doing exercise regularly.
• Risk: This can injure your muscles and joints.
• Avoidance: Listen to your body. If you are having any discomfort, then take the necessary steps to prevent seriousness.

Keep your form correct, and listen to your body when doing wall angels. It suggests you speak with a doctor or physical therapist if you have any previous shoulder or back problems.

Variations and Progressions

One of the best exercises for the shoulder and upper back is the Wall Angels. You can try out multiple variations and progressions in your plan. Start with the simple Wall Angels and work yourself up to these simpler varieties:

1. Simple Wall Angels

Improve your shoulder flexibility and balance with this exercise. Making angels while lying on your back against a wall increases your shoulder power and flexibility.

Step-by-step instructions:

• Lie down on the floor and bend your knee.
• Keeping in touch with the wall, slowly glide your arms up, bringing them above and back to your starting point.
• Maintain a strong core and a flat back by pushing the core.

2. Weighted Wall Angels

Weighted Wall Angels raise the difficulty of the classic exercise by making the shoulder work harder. If you want stronger shoulders and more stability, this is for you.

Step-by-step instructions:

• Do like the simple wall Angels.
• Grab a pair of light dumbbells and hold them at the wrists.
• Continue to the correct form and technique.

3. Elevated Wall Angels

While doing Wall Angels, support your upper back on a soft roller or pillow.

Step-by-step instructions:

• Firstly, put a roller or pillow under your back.
• Now, do the basic wall Angel exercise.

4. One-Arm Wall Angel

Wall Angels with only one arm is a more specific option. Shoulder mobility issues can be treated properly. It's a great option for specific shoulder therapy and rehab.

Step-by-step instructions:

• Stretch your arms out to the side and the other at your side, resting.
• Do the wall Angels using one arm.
• Use another arm and repeat this.

5. Faster Wall Angels

If you're looking for a faster choice for a hard shoulder workout, try doing this Wall Angels. Focus on shoulder control and balance during this exercise.

Step-by-step instructions:

• Take position like the basic wall Angel exercise.
• Do the wall Angel faster than usual.
• Focus on your body and muscles.

Start with the basic steps and build from there. Avoid leaning back too far or lowering your shoulders. Keep your back flat against the wall. Talk to a doctor or therapist about changing the task if it feels wrong.

Safety Precautions

If you want to avoid accidents and get the most out of your wall angel workout, safety should be your top priority. Take these steps to lower the risk of injury when doing wall angels:

1. Warm-up: Start by warming up properly to raise blood pressure and stretch your shoulder joints.
2. Correct Posture: Always ensure your body is in a proper position while exercising so you don't end up hurting yourself.
3. Progress in Little Steps: You should begin with a small range of movement and grow it as your power and flexibility improves.
4. Consultation: Stop the workout immediately and see a doctor if any pain or unease develops.
5. Proper Breathing: Keep your breathing regular, and don't forget to release tension by keeping breathing, which can lead to harm.

You should warm up with a light workout before performing this exercise. Flexibility exercises and active shoulder flexibility might all fit into this category.

If you have a shoulder injury, you must act carefully and see your doctor for advice. If you are unsure about how to do wall angels safely, you should consult an expert.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do wall angels really help fix your posture?

By using core muscles to promote good alignment, regular use of wall angels as an exercise can improve posture. However, they are most effective when a part of a larger effort to fix poor posture.

What are wall angel exercises good for?

Wall angles help improve poor posture by strengthening and lengthening the upper back, shoulder muscles, and trunk muscles. It strengthens the core muscles as well, improving back and neck pain.

What muscles do the wall angels work out?

Wall angles mainly target the muscles of the upper back, shoulder blades, and hips. Additionally, it relaxes hip flexors, strengthens the pectoralis major and minor, and lengthens chest muscles.

Why are wall angels so difficult?

Performing wall angles can seem difficult as it requires the head, shoulders, spine, and buttocks to be aligned.

This can be quite hard to do if you have stiff muscles and often find your head or shoulders losing contact with the wall.

Can I do wall angels on the floor?

It is strictly recommended to perform wall angles while in contact with the wall. But in case you’re having trouble doing so, you can indeed choose to perform while lying on the floor, performing the exact steps of wall angles.

Wrapping Up

If you want greater flexibility and better posture in your shoulders, try doing a few wall angels. The results of your workouts will improve if you follow the correct form.  Remember that you should begin with small, slow movements and slowly increase your area of flexibility.

If you want to do wall Angels properly, follow this guideline. With time and effort, you can increase your flexibility and help your upper body stay healthy and pain-free. So, add wall angels to your exercise routine and experience the benefits they provide.